| Author | Message | ||
     86129squids |
I've been watching my 3 bird houses lately- one was a Bday gift last year, a pretty nice one- looks like English sparrows are moving in. Also, got a gang of starlings gorging themselves on my suet... I'm aggravated. I'd much rather see bluebirds, or native house wrens, or some other native species around- both the sparrows and starlings are invasive, non-native species. I HAATE starlings, their only fun aspect is watching a huge flock do their synchronized flight stuff. My nice birdhouse has had the entry hole pecked away, making it bigger and uglier. What I'm wanting is a very low overshoot BB gun that still has good accuracy. I have too many houses too close for anything else... my GF actually bought me an air rifle for Christmas a few years ago, sadly I had to return it because I was afraid of its long overshoot potential... When I was a kid, I was a deadeye shot with a BB gun, but- didn't have nearly so many issues with proximity. Ideas? I know I'll have to re-do the entry holes with some metal blanks, smaller, but- I'd just as soon reduce the numbers of these pesky flying rats... Discuss!  | ||
| Ourdee |
Use pellets. | ||
| Aesquire |
First, I would check on the legality, and permits, if any required. ( I'm not going to advocate breaking any game laws, BUT I will assume that varmints like Starlings are open season, they should be, but check ) Second, a pellet will be more than enough More accurate than a BB that you greatly lessen the probability of misses, bounced shots, and property damage to your neighbors. Third, a pellet will transfer more energy to the target, ensuring a much better chance of a clean kill, which is both humane, and neighborly, since wounded birds upset people. You don't need a really high power rifle, a Gamo Whisper or other make with built in suppressor may be a good idea. Get a break action single shot, and again, don't worry about power, a lower power model will be easier to use and you are not after Bison. | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
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| Sifo |
Aesquire is absolutely correct in that a pellet gun will be more accurate than a BB gun. They have rifled barrels that will stabilize the pellet, where a BB is more like a knuckle ball. Still, you might want to check on the terminal ballistics of whatever you may choose. Keep in mind, that even with these low power rifles, that don't fall under the typical firearm quagmire of legal issues, you are still responsible for every single projectile that you send downrange. Pellets will also have less issues with ricochets causing damage. BBs can bounce off of hard targets and retain a good deal of their initial energy. | ||
| Hootowl |
Yes. Steel bounces. Lead, much less. | ||
| Greg_e |
If you get a decent paintball gun, you should be able to terminate those pests with a bit of safety. Crank up the power so you have a bit of range, no longer safe to shoot humans, but should put those birds down quickly. | ||
| Rick_a |
A decent pellet pistol does the job at reasonable ranges. I've taken many a bird with inexpensive pump rifles as well. These two have been staples:   Top is a Crosman and bottom is a Benjamin/Sheridan. | ||
| Court |
Claymore | ||
| 86129squids |
 I'll not be hiring you, Court, for any extermination jobs! You've been watching Caddyshack a little much, eh? I'd thought about pellets- good point about lead and energy transference. I'm digging that Crosman- is it CO2 or pump? I'm guessing pump would be more sensible... Also, stragety! Someone told me that the first kill should be the female- seems obvious, cuz she poots out the babies, but it'll cancel the male's nesting behavior for a while. Next sunny day, I'll be studying my shot angles and overshoot areas. Dang thing is, I live right next to the neighborhood park(!), and I'll have to use times when hopefully nobody's around. Saw a house wren come to my feeders today (cool bird, native)- hoping I can clear some real estate for him/her. A year or 2 ago, had a pair nest, was real fun watching the male sing and do his thing, protect his territory and such. I guess it's my patriotic duty to protect my native birds from the undocumented immigrants...  Also, my GF was talking to her BF this afternoon, who had the pleasure of watching a bald eagle hanging out in the trees on her property... Haven't youn's heard???? | ||
| 86129squids |
Grumps- that video was Awwwsuuummm!!!! Gotta wonder about the ballistics though- I gotta hit a very small target right the first time. It'd be fun to do it with a tater for sure, just not sure about the results. Maybe an apple or pear, or some jicama, would be better ammo. | ||
| Aesquire |
How about a laser? | ||
| 86129squids |
Ourdee- that also was a great vid. I had to wonder at the end about feeding the cats those birds, if the pellets are lead-based? Cats seemed to dig it, looks like a routine with them, and their babies were learning... not cool to give them lead poisoning in the meantime. Hopefully his ammo was non-toxic, only lethal in velocity application. After a while that guy will probably need to cull the cat population, despite the benefits they bring in keeping the rodents down. | ||
| Rick_a |
The guns he is using will penetrate a bird completely. Those are both pumps aka multi stroke pneumatics. There are similar models available. My pistol is stripped down from the original. http://www.crosman.com/airguns/air-pistols?powerpl ant=23 http://www.crosman.com/airguns/air-rifles/benjamin -397 This one a bit more serious:  RWS48 spring air. | ||
| 86129squids |
"How about a laser?" Maybe I could work up a mirror/magnifying glass jig/rig, the targets are a little bigger than ants and spiders. Laser would overshoot, for sure. | ||
| Aesquire |
No I mean a laser pen strong enough to light paper. You may not have to take any life if you scare them away. I presume you know to watch for aircraft and check your backstop. Metallic lead as in pellets and bullets is relatively harmless. The vapors from tetraethyl lead are bad and pretty much gone except for avgas, and that is sold in relatively tiny amounts. Wash your hands after handling lead before you eat and you're safe. Eating lead based paint is bad as is breathing the dust from trying to remove it. You can buy no lead alloy pellets. But they bounce more. How many tons are you going to use? Cats shouldn't have issues, with a few birds. If you're in Condor country go with alloy. | ||
| Arthurxb |
Everyone musta heard? Bird, bird, bird. Bird is the word! Everybody talkin bout the bird! Sorry. Had to do it | ||
| Reepicheep |
Woodnbow traded me a sweet pellet rifle for a new in box orange Uly airbox cover... It is a LOT of fun to shoot, and has a lovely trigger and even nice functional optics (very nice BSA scope that was probably inexpensive, but that works very well optically and mechanically). You should have seen me sneaking around the house trying to get a line of site to snipe a starling from out a window in my residential neighborhood without the bird or pellet leaving my property. No luck, but it was a fun hunt.  | ||
| Rick_a |
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| Court |
>>>You've been watching Caddyshack a little much, eh? Negative. Training San Onofre I can solve most problems with either a Claymore, Tovex or NiPak. Birds would be easy. | ||
| Etennuly |
I have a pump pellet pistol and a Tipman A-5 paint ball gun. At thirty feet distance the paint ball gun is at least three times more accurate than the pellet gun for a grouping in a three inch circle. Also shooting and pumping up a pellet pistol takes time and makes noise so a second shot would be difficult. I would think that with pest birds there would not even be a need to freeze the paint balls. The paint ball gun will hit them with enough force to do the job, it will likely carry the victim thirty feet beyond the strike spot. Errant shots can travel up to 125 yards, depending on trajectory angles, at that distance the paint balls are literally just falling to the ground. Also with the paint ball gun you can put a half dozen shots on target in a couple of seconds. For the most part a pellet gun shooting a metal projectile is likely to be considered more dangerous to a neighborhood than a paint ball gun. Shooting plastic balls with liquid soap marker that is intended to be shot at other people would probably be viewed as less offensive in town. Just remember what ever you use.....put it down on the ground quickly if the police show up.  | ||
| 86129squids |
Very good advice, Vern, especially that last sentence!!! I'd not thought that paintball guns would be more accurate- guess I'll look into that too. Aesquire- neat idea, about the laser pen, could entertain pets with it too. However, maybe it'd hurt someone's feelings, BUT- those birds are invasive, reproduce MUCH faster than the locals, and will even push out other eggs or kill the chicks of competing species. I'd be quite happy to blow their wittle heads off, given the chance! I've thought about putting up purple martin boxes too, but that might just multiply my aggravations. Sure would like to get a colony or 3 of those going though. My grandpa used to put up martin boxes. I got a little jealous of that guy in Ouedee's vid- obviously he's out in the country, on the farm, no worries about overshoot- and DAYUM he's a deadeye with that gun! Cool sense of humor too. My good buddy used to live out on the lake, with a nice semi-private cove big enough to put in a slalom ski run- he'd see any number of wally's joyriding their PWC's back there, and it annoyed the heck outta him. He built a tater-cannon! It sounded the part, scared the shiznit out of those morons when put to use...  | ||
| Etennuly |
Find out what the natural enemy of the birds in question are and put one out there. Maybe a model of an owl, or crow, or a stuffed fox on the ground under the feeder. I hate suggesting things that don't blow up, but you do live within the city limits. (I doubt a model of a claymore would work on other than people who know what it is(put these at your front gate for that purpose)) | ||
| Greg_e |
Lead free pellets are pretty common, they are lighter so retain less energy which is important for birds because you might get them down to less shoot through. With most paintball guns, I doubt you would need to freeze the balls to be deadly on small birds. Look at what they do to humans at the "safe" power levels, turn it up a little and bye bye birdy! For small birds the co2 powered guns would be fine, but you may still need to find a way to turn the power down. If you go PCP (precharged pneumatic) the you normally have ways to turn the power down. Cost is more because you need a pump and normally the guns run more money too. Check these suckers out: http://www.airforceairguns.com/ Get one with a shroud to reduce the noise. | ||
| Just_ziptab |
I have a repeating sparrow trap that works really well. Seems that if I clean out the Spring colony of 8 to 12 birds I have very little problem the rest of the Summer. Starlings just have to be shot. Sparrows and Starlings drive away my Purple Martins  | ||
| Gusm2 |
I have an antique Diana .177 air rifle circa 1930's that I inherited from a family friend, it had no power and a crayon stuck down the barrel when I got it, but after fitting a new spring and seal kit it will take down a magpie at 25yds.....I hate magpie's | ||
| Leftcoastal |
I had a Feinwerkbau spring air pellet pistol that would put the pellet (.177) through the same hole at 50' if you were a good enough shot with it. Single shot, 1 pump to load spring. EXPENSIVE!! Worth every penny. Effing burglers got it about 20 years ago. I think Beeman sells them. Beeman probably doesn't sell claymores | ||
| Ratbuell |
I'm with Vern - research and see if there are any natural repellents for the invaders. Other species (put out models), plants, noises, environmentals...see if that helps any. It'll take some of the "rambo-fun" out of it, but could also take some of the "that crazy SOB in that house shot my kid on the playground" fun out of it, too... | ||
| 86129squids |
Thanks, Joe- decoy type repellents would probably shun away all the dang birds, including the good ones. I'm pretty sure I already have a redtail hawk family in the neighborhood... I'll investigate the sparrow trap. Hopefully it'll be better than snipe hunting... | ||
| Just_ziptab |
Bread for bait works great. First sparrow caught and left in the trap attracts many more. Drive several miles out and release them. Dad had one on the farm and would have a couple dozen sparrows in one day. Sounded like a batch of French fries in a deep fat fryer when he dunked the trap in the water tank. Seems to be not too cruel as sparrows drown almost instantly http://www.ebay.com/itm/Havahart-Sparrow-Trap-/281 581357461?pt=Vintage_Hunting&hash=item418f8e8995 |
